


WQAR-FM

by elwynclark



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, College, College Radio, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Radio, bb8 is a dog
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-02-26 14:52:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13238067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elwynclark/pseuds/elwynclark
Summary: At Ileenium University, college radio is not dead. At least that's what everyone at WQAR-FM keeps telling themselves as they work towards a degree in broadcasting. Helmed by former Senator, and now Professor, Leia Organa, students are given the opportunity to make their voices heard. A new semester is just beginning, along with a college career for a few special students. #savecollegeradio(Might also include a rivalry between the radio station and the TV station..)





	1. "Revolution Radio"- Green Day

**Author's Note:**

> Let's just jump right in shall we? More notes at the end! 
> 
> (Not beta'd, still in my framework here. But will come back to make some minor changes!)

Dear Student, 

Thanks for enrolling in Ileenium University’s radio program! As an incoming first year, or transfer student, you can get on the air within the first few weeks! A few things to go over first though, our history and a few FAQS.

WQAR- Resistance Radio has been a fixture on campus since the mid 60s. It’s unclear which year it truly began since in the beginning, it was a moving place to place. It was the spot to be if you wanted your voice to be heard. Free speech and rock n roll, what more could a young person in the golden age of radio really ask for? The “Resistance” found a permanent home in the student center in 1970. Even from a humble beginning of just a lone broadcast booth behind the kitchen, this was where WQAR found it’s true voice on the airwaves. Hijacked signals on ham radios were a thing of the past. A new student center was built the next year and Ileenium graciously offered the entire building that calls WQAR home today. It may be small, but don’t underestimate us. 

In spring of 1975 WQAR received it’s Federal license to broadcast and became WQAR-FM 90.3. With a record enrollment throughout the 80s and 90s, everyone wanted to be on the airwaves. As the millennium came to an end and a new one began, FM radio started to choke. The resistance started to struggle, and now it’s barely keeping it’s head afloat. Between streaming services for every single device and digital versions of everything under the sun, WQAR-FM is making every effort to get back to the golden days of radio, and achieve higher enrollment numbers than the TV program. Those guys are assholes. (Most of them.) 

At WQAR, we are all student run with the assistance of Professor Leia Organa. Should you have any inquiries about your grade or are in need of some life guidance, stop by her office in the radio station! If you have a radio operations question, ask one of your peers! There’s always a member of station management in the radio station during the week. 

We cannot wait to meet you at our first meeting this Friday! Hondo Building lecture hall, Room 102, aka the building right next to the radio station. Please be sure to bring something to write with! 

Thanks!  
Poe Dameron  
WQAR-FM 90.3 , Station Manager 

\---

Rey sighed and looked up, right at the radio station. From her spot at this bench she had a perfect view of the building. And to her knowledge, the window on the far left was the on air studio. She wasn’t sure yet if she’d like being on air, maybe she could just do something behind the scenes. That’d be pretty cool too. 

Speaking of cool, that was not something she was feeling right now. She locked her phone and slid it into the pocket of her denim jacket and groaned a little. It was too hot for September. Wasn’t Massachusetts supposed to have an actual fall? Isn’t that a New England thing? She was glad she wore capris, a light shirt, and converse sneakers, but the denim jacket was killing her. Although the outfit didn’t really look right without the jacket, ah fuck it. She shrugged her jacket off and noticed someone stop in front of her. 

“Rey?” A guy’s voice asked and she looked up, her sunglasses almost falling off her nose. 

“Oh, hey!” She lumped her coat onto her bag beside her and looked back at him. “Uh, Finn! 187, down the hall right?” 

“Yeah! You got it! Second floor rules!” He smiled ear to ear and Rey smiled back. 

“Sit, have a seat!” She moved her messenger bag and jacket to the ground by her feet and he sat down next to her. He placed his backpack on the ground as well. 

“You have anymore classes today?” He asked and adjusted his white headphones around the back of his neck. 

“Nope! Well, kind of.” She stumbled over her words. “I’m not sure. It’s listed as a practicum course.” 

“Radio! WQAR! Yes! We get a class together.” Finn smiled brightly at Rey and she nodded happily. 

“Yes! So is it a class or something else?” She asked.

“More of something else, I’ve heard? We get a grade in it, and a single credit for taking it. But it’s all hands on! Not actual classwork.” 

“Any big papers, do you think?” She inquired and he shrugged. 

“Doubt it. It’s all about the work in the studio. Do you want to be a DJ? Or something else there?” 

“What else can you do, besides talking about celebrities in the morning for people to listen to when they drive in to work?” He laughed a little and shrugged again. 

“Lots of stuff probably, edit things. Fix stuff when it breaks. The news? Sports? You like, wait what was it, oh god.” He covered his face trying to remember their conversation from earlier in the week when all the freshmen moved in. 

“Not that hard, it’s huge everywhere but here!” She tried to help him and smirked. 

“OH! Soccer!”

“Football!” She corrected and whacked his shoulder. 

“Come on, that’s not football.” He groaned and she just shook her head. 

“Nope.” She pouted then checked the time on her watch. “OH! Look, we actually might be late!” Rey grabbed her bag off the ground and stood up. 

“This is not over!” He grumbled and stood up quickly, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. 

“Is this going to be our thing? Arguing about sports?” She asked and looked at him as they started to walk towards the Hondo Building. 

“Maybe we can do it on the radio?” He taunted and she smiled. Finn reached for the door of the academic building and pulled it open, letting her pass by first. “How about, Brit vs. Boy?” 

“No!” She squeaked and laughed at him. “You can do better than that.” 

“I’m on it.” He nodded and she smiled back. As they rounded the corner down the next hallway, casual chatter began to drift towards them from the classroom at the end. Someone paced at the end of the hallway speaking heatedly into a cell phone. He was dressed in a suit and hair so red it was orange. 

“No, that’s not the point! I specifically requested that I was not in that group and he had the audacity, NO, the nerve to put me there.” His voice was venomous and Rey and Finn snuck by him and into the classroom behind him. 

“Eesh.” Finn muttered to Rey and she nodded in agreement. The two of them looked over at room they just walked into. 

The classroom, room 102, was a smaller lecture hall. Seats anchored to the ground and staggered in levels like an auditorium, with smaller desk space attached to the back of the seats as well. But instead of a stage in the front, it was a whiteboard and a podium desk combination. The classroom was almost two thirds full, all years of students represented as well. Bits of conversations all blended together. Everyone seemed to be bursting at the seams with energy. 

“My internship at Pickman Studios was amazing! Well I only held the clapboard but like, that’s a big deal. I mean, I was the clapper!” A girl, with blonde hair in two small buns on the top of her head, elaborated on to a few other girls near her. 

“They wouldn’t dare trade Marty, no way in hell!” A larger guy in the back row yelled over a few of the guys near him. He had a hockey jersey on and a laptop set up in front of him at the desk space. 

“My fantasy lineup would own if they did!” Another one added and one of them groaned. 

“Why is all about fantasy now? Just watch the goddamn game and be happy!” One of the others added. They all started grumbling and arguing again and Finn just smiled ear to ear. 

“Football, thank you!” Finn nudged Rey and she just scowled then gestured to some empty seats. He followed her to sit down towards the middle of the classroom, closer to a couple other students who seemed to be keeping to themselves. All of them, freshmen. 

“Nice turnout, nice. Real nice.” A guy marveled from behind them, closer to the door. Rey and Finn both looked back quickly and saw an upperclassman with a cardboard box tucked under one arm and a clipboard in the other. His hair was dark and curly, tousled just enough, and he sported a bit of facial hair and a brown leather jacket. 

“God he must be melting.” Rey mumbled and glanced at Finn. She swore she heard Finn gulp. She raised an eyebrow at him then shrugged and turned back to the front in her seat. 

“Dameron!” The hockey jersey guy in the back row boomed. 

“Snap!” He called back and tossed his clipboard into the box then fist bumped his friend. “We gotta talk later, new plan for broadcasts!” He started walking down the aisle to the front of the classroom. 

“What? Since when?” 

“You get my email?” 

“No one reads their school email over the summer!” 

“It was this morning, c’mon you’re killin’ me Snap Wexley. Killin’ me.” He placed the box on the desk in the front of the classroom and took a quick look around the room. Everyone was still chattering away. 

“Hi! I’m Jessika!” A girl announced as she sat down by Rey. She pushed her hand out to her. 

“Rey!” She answered and shook her hand. 

“Nice to meet you!” Jessika smiled and Rey smiled back. 

“Likewise.” She adjusted the way she was sitting and scooted back into her seat. 

“I love your bag, just distressed enough.” Jessika added trying to start a conversation. 

“Oh! Thanks!” Rey blushed a little glancing at her messenger bag, an old green military satchel. “I’ve had it forever, used to be my grandfather’s. So, it’s had its fair share of being in distress.” Jessika laughed a little, and seemed to relax. They both settled into their seats as more students filtered into the room, making it a true full house. 

Someone walked up to the guy in the front. Dameron, was what the kid in the back called him. OH! The email! She remembered. Poe! He’s the Manager. The other guy was a full head taller than him, with longer, darker hair. Rey looked between the two of them and smiled a little as Poe whacked the other on the shoulder with his clipboard and the other faked being hurt. Poe threw something at him then pointed to the whiteboards. 

“Good to see you Professor!” Someone piped up and the class started to hush over. Rey turned to look, curious to find out what the Professor looked like. 

“Alex! did you have a good summer?” An older woman asked as she walked down the aisle from the doorway. She had a folder clutched to her chest and a lopsided smile on her face. Her hair was a lighter brown, strands of gray throughout it, and it was braided on the back of her head. 

“It was perfect. Two months of absolutely nothing.” The student Alex answered.

“That sounds lovely, dear.” The Professor responded. She continued to walk to the front and looked between the two guys at the front. She placed her folder on the desk by the cardboard box and leaned against the edge of the desk. 

“Alright, listen up! We’re starting now!” The Poe yelled and the room finally quieted down all the way. 

“Anything for you, Poe!” One of the guys in the back obnoxiously yelled. 

“Settle down, settle down.” Poe smirked and the boys in the back all laughed and eventually the room quieted. 

“Wow, new record.” The Professor started. 

“We’re trying!” Someone in the back called and she pointed at them. 

“I know, but, shut up.” She declared and a few “oohs” went up around the room. “Welcome to radio. WQAR-FM 90.3. I’m Professor Leia Organa. Who are my new students? Raise those hands, that’s all I ask!” All of the students closest by Rey raised their hands and she looked around the room to see who else was new. A few scattered hands around the room were raised. 

“About 20. That’s awesome.” Poe declared and looked over at the Professor. He glanced back at the other student by the whiteboard who just gave him a thumbs up. Rey noticed that he’d written on the whiteboard Welcome to WQAR! And other scribbles as well but he was standing in front of the majority of it. 

“Welcome!” Professor Organa beckoned to the class. “Alright, you can relax.” There were a few laughs and everyone who had their hands raised put them down. “As you’ve most likely guessed by now, this meeting it rather informal. There are no papers, no projects. Just hard work. I’ll let these two introduce themselves.” She looked back at the guy by the whiteboard and stepped back to grab his arm, pulling him forward. He was a giant standing next to her. Poe watched this and just continued smiling. 

“Who talks first? You talk first? I do?” He asked and the other student just shrugged.

“Poe, cut it out. Just let Ben talk for a second then you get the rest.” Professor Organa scolded the student manager and he just nodded. 

“Hey everyone. I’m Ben Solo, I’m your Operations Manager.” He ran his hand through his hair and looked around the room. “Uh, I’m a Junior this year. This is my second year as Ops Manager, third at WQAR. Pretty much if you have a problem while on air, come to me.” 

“Thank you, Ben.” Professor Organa smirked and looked back to Poe as Ben sank back against the whiteboard, standing aside from the scribbles he made. Rey finally paid attention to what it actually said. 

Poe Dameron- Station Manager 617-553-9902  
Ben Solo- Operations Manager 617-445-9801  
@WQARFM 

“OK, now take down these phone numbers Ben wrote up there. It’s both of our personal numbers, just in case any of you have any issues. Like Leia said, it’s really relaxed here. She’s the one grading you, but when it comes down to it Ben and I are solving the majority of any problems you might come up with.” 

“Or tweet at us, or whatever. It’s @WQARFM on pretty much everything.”  
Ben added. 

“Yeah, good call.” Poe looked around the room. “Questions? No? OK, let’s get into our general operating procedures.” 

A few groan went up around the room but were soon quiet again. Papers were passed around the room by Ben and a few other students. Things to fill out and return, packets to hang on to and file away. The meeting seemed to drag on but the mood was still high the entire time. Professor Organa spoke mainly about the protocol and decorum of the radio station. But the majority of the meeting was split between Poe and Ben, the two of them discussing the different departments you could join and going on about the shifts that can be applied for. Finn had taken an interest in doing the evening shifts while Rey seemed more interested in a morning show if possible. 

“OK, that will about do it for the day. Before you all go, new students be sure to stop by the office this week and introduce yourself! Please, don’t all come at once today though, it is a small building.” Poe went on and laughed a little to himself. 

“If you’re scheduled for board op training after this, please come right over. Don’t dawdle.” Ben added. 

“Let’s have a great semester everyone!” Professor Organa smiled and finally dismissed the class. Chatter went up amongst all the students and a few students lingered around the front of the room. Talking to the Professor or the management staff. 

“Want to head over now?” Finn asked Rey and she nodded. The two of them took a few of the available spots for board op training this afternoon. They both stood up, Finn slipping his sunglasses back on before they even walked out of the room. Rey gathered her bag and denim jacket and followed him out of the row. She felt someone looking at her and looked back at her seat then at the front of the room towards the small group of students. 

And Ben Solo staring right back at her.


	2. "Rebel Rebel" - David Bowie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WQAR first impressions. It is an old building after all..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW. Thank you for the responses and kudos so far!!! Here's the next bit! I'm really unsure of how this will end up going. I need to go back and edit a little bit still as well. 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read my little story! 
> 
> :D

“Rey, you coming?” Finn called from the doorway, looking back at her still standing in the middle of the aisle of the lecture hall. 

She looked back up at Finn, away from Ben’s gaze and nodded. She took the steps up the aisle two at a time and caught up with him as he walked out the door. 

“Thanks!” She said to him as she slipped through the open door he held for her. 

“What were you looking at back there?” He asked once they were both outside. She pulled at the strap of her bag and shrugged. 

“Just the phone numbers on the whiteboard, making sure I got them correct.” 

“Oh!” They walked in a comfortable silence across the quad. 

A good amount of students were out and about for 3 in the afternoon on a Friday. Rey smiled to herself, she knew Ileenium was a good choice. She was worried sending in her decision to commit to a school without actually touring it. It wasn’t like she was about to fly from London to Boston just to take a walking tour. She didn’t have that kind of money just laying around. The full scholarship really was a big selling point. 

The school was actually right outside the city, a minute away from a T station. Rey grumbled under breath thinking about the public transportation of Boston. She did not have a good time getting from the airport to Ileenium last weekend. 

The radio station was just a few steps away now and Rey found herself walking without Finn beside her suddenly. She turned back to see where he was and saw him a few paces behind her with his back turned to her. All of a sudden he lifted his phone in the air, the selfie camera facing both of them. 

“Smile, girl!” He called and Rey did her best but he caught her off guard leaving Finn with multiple outtakes. 

“NO!” Rey yelled as she noticed him laughing and she reached at him, trying to grab his phone. “Delete them!” 

“Nope!” He locked his phone and held it high in the air so she couldn’t reach it. Finn was laughing his ass off at Rey trying to reach his phone. 

“Ugh, Freshmen.” Someone grumbled as they walked by the two of them. 

“You two are signed up for the training in a minute, right?” Someone else called and Rey and Finn both looked in the direction. It was Station Manager Poe Dameron, walking up the path towards them still wearing the leather jacket and carrying a battered clipboard, the back of it covered with bumper stickers. 

“Yep!” Rey answered and she looked at Finn, who was silent suddenly. He seemed to be blushing as well behind his sunglasses. 

“Awesome. Meet you inside! Our air conditioning got fixed over the summer so it’s much nicer in there than out here.” He added as fanned himself with the clipboard then walked by them, headed towards the front door of the station. Rey elbowed Finn, hitting him in the gut. 

“What the hell was that? It was like you forgot how to speak!” Rey demanded and Finn just shrugged. 

“I, uh.” He just stammered and looked away from Rey and back at the direction they came from. “He’s,” Finn trailed off and Rey leaned closer, narrowing her eyes. 

“I can’t hear you, c’mon. Spit it out.” He just looked down at her, pulling his sunglasses down slightly. It hit her suddenly. He’d told her earlier this week that he liked guys while they were at a party and one too many girls had accidently dropped something in front of him in an attempt to get his attention. Rey, proudly, was not one of those girls. “You have a crush.” 

“No.” 

“YES.”

“NO.”

Rey smiled and hit his shoulder lightly. 

“Finn, that’s adorable.” He smiled and held onto the straps of his backpack. “Don’t rush anything.” 

“I won’t.” He was still smiling. A few more people had passed them during their conversation and entered the radio station. The two of them walked to the front door, and Rey pulled it open. Classic Rock immediately rang through the air. 

We like dancing and we look diving, you love bands when they’re playing hard. 

“You are not arguing with me about Bowie, it’s way to early in the semester for that!” The girl with the two small blonde buns on top of her head yelled as she ran down the hallway. A boy with dark hair and a slight beard followed after her. 

“C’mon Kay, you have to admit it!” He called, his voice echoing down the hallway. 

Upon walking into WQAR-FM, there’s a single hallway. To the immediate left was a window into one of the production studios. Straight ahead the hallway ends and leads into another hallway, going both right and left. Awards from local broadcasting and nationally known groups adorn the walls, there’s barely any space for the light grey paint to peek through. 

“Woah.” Finn mumbled as he took his sunglasses off, clipping them onto the collar of his shirt. He looked closer at the plaques that lined the walls. Rey peered into the window of the studio. The setup was simple, soundproofing on all the walls, a window a built in table, soundboard, a computer with multiple screens, and two microphones on adjustable arms. The tall student from earlier, with the bright red hair, was speaking into the hanging microphone. A girl with platinum blonde hair was sitting in the chair closer to the computer, with headphones on. She was staring at one of the computer screens, with one hand hovering over the board, as he continued speaking into the mic. 

A fluffy dog barreled around the corner suddenly and ran right up to Rey and Finn, sniffing them both viciously. Rey yelped in surprise and held her hands down to get the dog to stop crawling up her body. The dog proceeded to lick her hands. 

“BB?” Poe’s voice yelled and his head poked around the right corner of the end of the hall. He scooted around the corner in an office chair, the wheels backing into the wall behind him. His jacket was draped over the back of the chair. “Oh my god, I am so sorry.” He was half laughing then whistled. “Get over here, missy!” The dog whined then trotted away from Rey and Finn, back to Poe. He ruffled her ears and she just placed her head on Poe’s knee. “She loves people.” 

“I can see that.” Rey mumbled looking down at her pants, now covered in white and orange dog hair. 

“BB?” Finn asked, finally breaking his silence. 

“Yeah, Bella Baby. She was the runt of the litter, the eighth puppy.” The dog seemed to be smiling while sitting at Poe’s feet. “Her mother was named Bella. A gorgeous border collie.” 

“Poe, are the last two here yet?” Someone yelled down the hall from the left and Poe and BB just looked down that direction now. He turned in his chair slightly to look there, then pointed back at Rey and Finn. BB whined. Poe looked back at freshmen pair while a pair of heavy footsteps approached. 

“Better get down there. Ben’s been known to, break things.” Poe shrugged a little and backed his chair around the corner he came from. Hitting the wall a few times. “Fuck.” Rey swore she heard Finn giggling. 

“Finn and Rey?” Ben called as he came from the left hallway. He stopped, just avoiding running into the dog in the middle of the hall. He had the same dark red and black flannel on and a Nirvana T-shirt from earlier. 

“Yes!” Rey and Finn both answered looking back at Program Director Ben Solo. 

“Come on, before you’re both assigned a graveyard shift.” He smirked slightly and looked down at the dog. “You too.” BB whined and stood up, running off in the direction Poe went to. Ben tapped the wall he was leaned against to the music then shoved away from it, gesturing for the two of them to follow. 

Rey went first and Finn followed her. They followed Ben down the left hallway. At the very end of the hallway was a fireplace, with a filing cabinet setup right next to it. The door to the first production studio was closed. There were two more that followed it, all on the left side of the hallway. The doors to both of them were open. On the right side of the hallway was a doorway, with no door. Rey looked in quickly, seeing a shabby couch pushed against the wall and CDs EVERYWHERE. The two students who were arguing about Bowie were sorting them into different bins. 

“Hi there!” The girl called to Rey and waved. “I’m Kay! This is Jones!” He waved as well and Rey smiled. “We run the music department.” 

“Cleaning up this mess.” Jones groaned and moved a stack of CDs. 

“I’m Rey! This is Finn. Nice to meet you both.” Rey answered and pulled at Finn’s arm, to get his attention. He waved at two students. 

“FRESHMEN, COME ON.” Ben’s voice carried into the hall and Rey cringed. Finn ran past her down to the end of the hallway and into the open studio. Ben was holding the door open, standing in front of the fireplace. 

“I’m sorry!” Rey said to him as she walked up to the studio. 

“You’re looking at a graveyard shift, at least one. Maybe two, depending on how training goes.” He stared at her, trying to intimidate her. Rey stared back up at him. 

“I’ll enjoy it.” Rey smiled and walked past him. Ben watched her walk by into the studio and shook his head.


	3. "Learn to Fly"- Foo Fighters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On-air training, more radio nonsense that you probably didn't know existed but it does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the responses! :D 
> 
> Plugging along with this story, I promise next chapter is a time jump and more will happen. (By a time jump I mean like an hour later but still, time is time.) 
> 
> Un-beta'd

“Now that we’re settled, welcome to the on- air studio. All broadcasting happens from this studio, the other two are production studios.” Ben addressed the four freshmen sitting in the studio with him. It’s an average sized studio. Each wall is covered with black foam, ridged for soundproofing. A built in table along the wall, with two windows. One is facing directly outside, with doubled glass for soundproofing, and a second big window to see into the next studio over. The table is right underneath the big window. An equipment tower is on the corner of the table, tucked into the corner. Blinking red and green lights, with a few cd players as well built into it. 

The sound board is to the left, it’s about a meter long. A digital clock is built into the top of it, the seconds ticking by. Two computer screens are mounted over the board, one of them has a what looks like a grid displayed and the other one is a long dropdown list with a search function. The last thing in the studio, and arguably the most important, is two microphone arms are mounted behind the computer screens and reach over to the edges of the table. 

Ben Solo dangerously leaned back in the wheelie chair in front of the board, Rey notices. There’s one open chair at the other microphone, and other chairs pushed against the wall. She takes the empty wheelie chair and Finn takes one of the empty chairs along the wall. 

“So do you all know each other or do we need to go around the room?” Ben asked and sunk a pair of head phones over his head, resting them around his neck. 

“Let’s go around, may as well.” Finn offered after a second of silence and everyone nodded. 

“You first then.” Ben shrugged and looked at one of the computer screens, clicking on something with the mouse. 

“OK, I’m Finn Scout.” Finn started and the other students just smiled and nodded. “I’m from Boston. And I want to go into broadcasting, probably the news. We’ll see.” Rey smiled and he nodded. 

“Hi! I’m Jessika!” The girl with long dark hair smiled and waved. “Jessika Pava. I’m from Danbury, Connecticut. I want to do social media marketing and maybe host my own show here!” She smiled again and looked to the guy to her left. 

“My name is Nixon Jerd, call me Nix.” He was leaned back in his chair, his feet fidgeting in his Nikes. “I’m not sure what I want to do yet, but radio sounded cool. I love the Patriots. Uh, I’m from Rhode Island.” He shrugged. “That’s it.” 

“Well, I’m Rey Jakken.” She said and noticed the boy Nix look at her funny. “Yes, I’m English and yes I’m from London. And no I haven’t met the queen.” She sighed and then remembered why she was speaking. “Right sorry, I’m here to study IT and programming, and needed to fill the rest of my credits and radio was only 1 so why not?” 

“How many credits are you taking?” Ben asked suddenly. He didn’t seem to be paying attention to any of what just happened until now. 

“Uh,” Rey counted quickly. “20, why? Is that too many?” He just started laughing at her. The other students didn’t know whether to join in or not and shifted in their seats. Rey looked to Finn and he just shrugged. “What’s so funny?!” 

“That’s the max amount, Princess. God you’ll be lucky to be here next semester at all.” Ben was almost reduced to tears laughing. 

“Hey Ben, why don’t you tell these fine folks that it is your 6th year of college?” Poe called from the doorway suddenly and Ben stopped laughing immediately, glaring at Poe. He stopped leaning back in the chair and it clattered to the ground. Rey was certain one of the wheels broke off. 

“6 years!?” Rey asked and Jessika seemed to be laughing a little bit as well. Nix had zero reaction, he was scrolling through his phone. Finn was doing what he’d been doing all day, staring at Poe. 

“Rey, right?” Poe asked and she nodded. “It takes 4 years in the American college system, 3 ½ of you’re on top of it.” 

“I’m on top of it.” Ben muttered and his hand seemed to engulf the computer mouse. Poe just looked at him and smirked. 

“Uh huh.” He nodded and walked away from the open doorway as quietly as he arrived. 

“Asshole.” Ben mumbled and stood up from the chair and went over to the doorway. He pulled at the doorstop to close the door, just as BB8 slid through the door and up onto the chair he was just sitting in. All the freshmen were laughing now, even Nix. 

“Good girl.” Rey muttered and reached over to rub her head. The dog whined back at her and tried to curl up in the seat of the chair. 

“Get down, now!” Ben lectured the dog and she stared at him. He put his hands on his hips and the dog stared back at him. He dodged right quickly away from the table and BB8 jumped up excitedly, and right out of the chair. She made a loud “BOOF.” Ben stepped over her and sat back into the chair. “Got ya.” He smiled at the dog and rubbed her head. Her tail whipped the side of the table and she moved to the corner by Finn, settling by his feet.  
Ben looked up at the students finally, and back to the computers. He moved a few things around on the screens. They were programmed together, so you could drag one window into the next one if you needed to. He reached under the table and there was a quick audio static buzz in the studio and everyone jumped.

“Sorry, headphones.” He held up the end of the cable of his headphones then reached under the table again, plugging it into the system. “Ok, so now that we’re all here. Radio.” He reached for a packet by the board and flipped through it. “So the purpose of this training is just so you know how to not make an ass of yourself when in this studio.”

“Sorry bud, but you already failed at that.” Nix smirked and Ben glared at him. 

“Nice.” Finn looked over at Nix and offered a fist bump over Jessika’s head. Nix smiled hitting him back. 

“As I was saying.” Ben continued. “You don’t need to be a poetic genius here. Just need to have a basic understanding of the equipment. And it’s really not that hard.” He scooted the chair to the side, and clicked on one of the neon squares on the grid on the right screen. A classic Foo Fighters song came on, it could just barely be heard. “Board first. Question, why is called a board?” 

“It’s, just short for soundboard?” Jessika guessed. 

“Yeah, or just, it’s a piece of fucking wood.” Ben quipped and Jessika looked defeated. He pointed to each audio faders. “Left side here is the mics, the middle ones are for connecting the studios, right are the music ones. And the far right are for the news and sports feeds.” 

“How are we supposed to remember that?” Finn asked. 

“They’re labeled!” Rey called and pointed it out, cutting Ben off. “See!” 

“Correct,” Ben pursed his lips and took a second. “The lights here,” He pointed to the top of the board, to the left of the clock. “Green means your levels are good, red means it’s way too loud. Even if it sounds ok in here, it might not when it actually goes out. This little knob here,” He points to a small dial on the left corner of the board. “That’s the in studio level.” He suddenly turns it up really loud.

“LOOKING TO THE SKY TO SAVE ME, LOOKING FOR A SIGN OF LIFE.” Dave Grohl’s voice bounced off the walls. Ben turned the dial back down. 

“Did you see it?” He asked and looked at everyone. They all shook their heads. “Ok, come closer, everyone.” Rey stayed put as everyone pulled their chairs closer to the table. Ben pointed at the levels, all in the green. “Watch there.” He turned the in studio volume up again, ear splitting this time. 

“FLY ALONG WITH ME I CAN’T QUITE FIGURE IT OUT.” The Foo Fighters blasted again and Ben turned it down again to a normal listening level. 

“See, no change in the broadcasted level. Just in the in studio. Play it as loud as you want, we don’t care.” Ben continued. “But just don’t do this.” He instead moved to the audio faders, and moved a few in the middle up a few notches, labeled as ‘computer 1 & 2.’ The audio lights started to bleed into orange and red tones. “See it?” 

“Ohhh.” Jessika mumbled and Ben lowered the levels again so they were at green. 

“There’s a mark here as well where it should usually always be, most songs we have in the system are at that level. CDs you need to double check though.” 

“Can we bring our own music then?” Rey asked and he looked at her. 

“Yes, but it needs to be approved by either manager first.” Ben nodded. “Can’t have you guys playing songs with swears in them or country during the metal format.” 

“Wait,” Jessika asked. “Formats?” 

“We’ll get there, we’ll get there.” Ben waved his hand at her. “The day is split up into different time slots. Each time slot there is a different format. You must stick to the format. We have tons of music for each format here. I don’t want to tune in, expecting to hear,” He sunk back into the chair and thought for a moment. “I want to make sure that when it should be the Jason Aldean it’s not Marky Mark and the funky bunch.” Finn snickered at this and Ben smiled slightly. 

“Got it.” Rey nodded, speaking for everyone. “Stick to format. No polka music during a metal show.” Ben started laughing again. “What!?”

“We used to have a kid, he graduated last year.” Ben leaned forward in the chair, trying to catch his breath. “He had a polka show. I shit you not! Boston, the 3rd biggest market for radio in the country, he had a polka variety show. God he was a genius on the subject. And he actually had a good audience as well.” 

“What you can measure that?” Finn asked. 

“Eh, well not really. He just actually received calls from the locals that were excited to hear something different. He was a good host overall actually.” Ben nodded, remembering the student. 

“Why the hell would you assign someone a polka shift?” Nix asked suddenly.

“Yeah, you can’t possibly expect someone to just cover that shift right?” Jessika added. 

“He applied for a show.” Ben clarified. “Sorry, I should have mentioned that. Freshmen, I forgot. After you complete a semester, of on air work, you can apply for your own show. Whatever you want it to be. Talk show, a genre of music, radio dramas, whatever you like.” Rey glanced at Finn and smiled, he nodded back at her. He mentioned having a talk show together sometime before the meeting earlier. 

“Wait, you said apply, as in a chance?” Rey asked. 

“Exactly.” Ben pointed at her, then glanced back at the computer realizing the room was quiet. He clicked another one of the squares in the grid quickly and music filled the background again. “Uh, yeah. You apply. And then Poe and I decide what makes the cut. We can’t have all specialty shows, we have the rest of the format to get through too.” 

“And for freshmen, do they have a chance to get a show?” Finn asked.

“A regular format shift, yeah definitely.” Ben shrugged and pulled at his headphones around the back of his neck. “A specialty show, yeah, there’s a chance. Depending on the effort you put in this semester. It all depends on the person.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you! 
> 
> I was recently informed that a friend I made at my radio station in college had passed away over the weekend. He was the Operations Manager at the time when I started my freshman year and was a big reason I ended up becoming Station Manager. We did drift apart as he graduated when I finished my first year and I only learned of this news through social media. 
> 
> You all didn't need to know this, but it's important at the same time. It won't effect updates for this story. Just important to show again how much radio really impacted my life right now. Pieces of this chapter were bringing me back to when he board trained me my freshman year with another student, the one who ended up becoming my program director and a very close friend of mine. He was 27. 
> 
> The board joke was his. Thank you, J.

**Author's Note:**

> College Radio was what saved me in during my four years of college. I've been living the post grad life for almost two years now and I'm still in that awkward stage of not really knowing what to do with my life.. So lets write about my golden years in a half fiction/half memoir? 
> 
> I was Station Manager at our station for 3 out of the 4 years I took radio! So a gooooood chunk of this will be based off of my actual experiences. I'll let you know as it progresses if I have a stupid comment to make about it. Believe me, you'll hear it even if you don't want it. 
> 
> First reylo fic I'm actually posting. Please be kind. <3


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